The rise in computational power and graphical processors have created tools that can craft entire virtual worlds and environments, which are becoming increasingly real with the rise in power and improvements in graphics software and other tools. Industries, such as in the gaming industry, have flourished, particularly games involving massive multiplayer online role playing games (MMORGs), where multiple players play against/with the game and fellow players.
Keeping pace with the rise in processing power is the degree of sophistication of the graphics tools and the degree of closeness to reality. With higher resolution displays, animation can appear increasingly lifelike. In current multiplayer online games, such as MMORGs, many diverse players partake of a common scenario or adventure and share a story line. Projections show that these types of “sharing” experiences will increase further with the generation of better technique, such as those shown herein, to better facilitate the experience.
Three-dimensional or 3D modelling and animation systems today are commonly dependent on the user first downloading a client file, which often consists of several gigabytes of data. Also, as is understood in the art, 3D modelling is typically performed utilizing 3D polygon modelling techniques, resulting in the definitions of surfaces/meshes that a 3D-modelling engine can graphically interpret into visualizations.
It should be understood that improvements in imaging capabilities go far beyond just gaming, and these same principles can also be adapted to and applied in various other applications, such use in medical imaging, architectural or building modeling, component or device modeling, and more, encompassing a wide variety of present and potential usages in modeling real world scenarios, as well as imagined or potential scenarios.
However, the increasing technical sophistication of the software tools employed in 3D modeling creates a significant barrier to entry: the requisite technical skill set of the user must now be high. For example, the creations of most current 3D-models employ polygon modeling techniques, which typically requires that the 3D-modeller have extensive training at University-level programs for such polygon 3D-modelling, including advanced math, data structures, and computational modeling algorithms for graphical user interfaces.
What is needed, therefore, is an alternative, simpler modeling approach to encourage users not necessarily so technically trained, particularly on the complex surface-modeling techniques currently employed. One tool employed in the instant invention to provide a simpler paradigm for operation employs voxels in place of the aforesaid surface modeling.
Voxels are volumetric pixels having a variety of benefits, such as being fast and simple. Further, Applicant has found that 3D modelling pursuant to the teachings of the instant invention, employing voxels, can generally be performed by any modestly computer-literate individual. As discussed, voxels involve the 3D modeling of volumes (rather than just surfaces), making the technology simpler to use and understand, i.e., more accessible to the populace.
However, voxel usage comes at a price, and a main drawback of voxel technology is the processor load required. Indeed, as more voxels are added, the inter-voxel complexity rises dramatically, and tracking each voxel, each volumetric component, quickly scales into significant requirements on a computer processor, particularly as the number of voxels and objects described thereby grows. Furthermore, a server client solution in which several, or many clients connect to one server can place significant capacity requirements on the server and on communications between the server and clients.
Again, what is needed is an improved technique and system that addresses the technical problems associated with processor load in the voxel-rich environments of 3D modeling, such as proposed herein.
The present invention solves the various technical problems involved with a voxel 3D modelling and animation system in client architecture systems, such as, for example, implementing systems utilizing HTLM5, a recent fifth version of the powerful Hypertext Markup Language protocol for structuring and presenting content on the Web. The utilization of existing standards and protocols is critical in situations as here, where, many users, often as many as up to 80%, will not choose to download a software client file employing such technology, or will not have the patience to await the completion of the download of a large software client.
There is, therefore, a present need to provide a system, method, technique, device, apparatus and architecture to improve existing modeling methods and make them easier to use, easier to download, and more efficient.
It is, accordingly, an object of the present invention to provide such a modeling system, which can be edited in a simple manner by average users without any (or at most a limited amount of) specialized training.
It is another object of the invention to provide functionality for distributing 3D models and animations created by one user to other users in a simple and effective manner.